Severe Arthritis
Thanks to robotics and better materials, hip replacements are no longer just for the elderly, as this active sales executive discovered.
The memories are distant yet they remain strong. Denice Schafer was in her late forties when she started falling frequently — so frequently that she would joke about it when meeting someone new: “Hi. I’m Denice and I fall.”
After neurological testing and many doctors’ exams, Schafer realized that she had joined an unfortunate club. “I have severe arthritis, so it seems I inherited my mother’s gene pool,” Schafer said.
Arthritis had caused severe damage to her right hip, which led not only to her recurring falls but additional problems as well. Abut five years ago, Schafer started experiencing constant back pain and migraine headaches. She says she felt grouchy and irritable nearly every day.
Dancing in Heels in Just Five Weeks
After steroid injections and other approaches proved ineffective, Denice agreed with her doctor that hip replacement surgery was her best option. Her referral to T. Andrew Ehmke, DO, a robotic hip and knee replacement specialist at AMITA Health Center for Advanced Joint Replacement La Grange, led to great outcomes.
